Nashville, OVC announced as hosts for 2012 NCAA First/Second Rounds

Sep 21, 2009

NASHVILLE – The National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) informed representatives from the Ohio Valley Conference and
Nashville Sports Council on Monday that the City of Nashville has
been awarded the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball
Championship First and Second Rounds.

The event will take place on March 16 and 18 and will be held at
the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville with the Ohio Valley
Conference serving as the host.

This marks the fourth time since 2000 that the event will be held
in the City of Nashville and at the Sommet Center (2000, 2003 and
2005). Each of the three previous events were sell outs.

Overall it is the eighth time the tournament has been in Nashville
as the first and second rounds have also been held in the city in
1982, 1989 and 1993 as were the 1973 Regional
Semifinals/Finals.

“Having been a member of this community for more than three
decades, the Ohio Valley Conference is pleased to be able to bring
marquee events that show off the best of intercollegiate athletics
to the City of Nashville,” said Beth DeBauche, Ohio Valley
Conference Commissioner. “We are proud to be able to showcase
not only the OVC, but the Sommet Center and the City of Nashville
to all the fans who will visit our city during the
event.”

“We are excited to have March Madness back in Music City for
the fourth time since 2000. This is a great event from both an
economical and media exposure standpoint for our community,”
said Scott Ramsey, President and CEO of the Nashville Sports
Council.

The partnership between the OVC, Nashville Sports Council and the
Sommet Center will also bring the 2014 NCAA Division I
Women’s Final Four to Nashville.

In all the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee
selected 36 cities over a three-year period (2011-13) to serve as
hosts for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.

“Having recently completed the Final Four site selection
process, the committee knew this would be a challenge,” said
Dan Guerrero, director of athletics at UCLA and current basketball
committee chair. “We received some 70 bids and each city
could, justifiably, provide a quality championship experience for
the student-athletes. Interest remains incredibly high in hosting
the championship.”

Other cities selected for first/second rounds games in 2012 include
Albuquerque, N.M., Louisville, Ky., Pittsburgh, Pa., Portland,
Ore., Columbus, Ohio, Greensboro, N.C. and Omaha, Neb. The regional
sites for 2012 are Boston, Mass., Phoenix, Ariz., Atlanta, Ga. and
St. Louis, Mo. The 2012 Men’s Final Four will be played at
the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, La.

The Ohio Valley Conference, which is the nation's eighth oldest
Division I athletic conference, is in its 61st year of competition
in 2008-09. The OVC is comprised of 11 schools that represent five
states. Member institutions include Austin Peay State University,
Eastern Illinois University, Eastern Kentucky University,
Jacksonville State University, Morehead State University, Murray
State University, Southeast Missouri

State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville,
Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and
the University of Tennessee at Martin. For more information call
615.371.1698 or visit OVCSports.com.

The Nashville Sports Council is a private, non-profit,
membership-based organization of area corporations and individual
sports enthusiasts. Created in 1992, the Nashville Sports
Council’s mission is to positively impact the economy and
quality of life of the Greater Nashville Area by attracting and
promoting professional and amateur sporting events. The Nashville
Sports Council has hosted more than 130 events that have produced
over $366 million in direct economic impact and is The Driving
Force of Sports in Nashville. For more information, call
615.743.3120 or visit NashvilleSports.com.